Garry Shandling Remembered: Hollywood Mourns Iconic Comedian

2 years ago

The Hollywood community is in mourning once again, with another icon passing away. Garry Shandling died suddenly today at the age of 66. TMZ was the first to report the news, with sources stating that the actor and comedian has died from a heart attack “with no prior warning whatsoever.” After the news first started to spread, numerous celebrities took to their Twitter accounts to mourn the loss of their dear friend.

The initial report revealed that Garry Shandling was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital, after a 911 call was received from the actor’s home. He was reportedly alive when he arrived at the hospital and the original report revealed the the comedian and actor wasn’t suffering from any known illness. A source connected to the actor said he was healthy, and he was talking to people earlier this morning before his untimely death.

Just last weekend, actress Kathy Griffin sent out a photo from her Twitter account, where she was flanked by Garry Shandling and Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk. As it turns out, this may be the last known photo of Garry Shandling, which was taken on Sunday. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a marketing degree, Garry Shandling moved to Los Angeles in 1973, where he quickly made his mark on the entertainment industry, getting his start writing for TV shows such as Sanford and Son, Welcome Back, Kotter and The Harvey Korman Show before turning his attention to stand-up comedy in 1978.

He made his TV debut in 1981 on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and became a fixture on the program, often serving as guest host until 1987. He created and starred in It’s Garry Shandling’s Show in 1986, which ran for four seasons until 1990. The comedian starred as a fictional version of himself in the groundbreaking series, who knew he was on a TV show, often breaking the fourth wall and interacting with the audience. In 1992, he created The Larry Sanders Show, which ran for six seasons on HBO from 1992 to 1998, and offered a satirical look at the world of late-night talk shows.

The actor’s movie roles included Mixed Nuts, Love Affair, Hurlyburly and Zoolander. He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2010 by portraying Senator Stern in 2010’s Iron Man 2, a role he reprised in his final movie role, 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He was also seen on a recent episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with Jerry Seinfeld, where the pair talked about Robin Williams‘ death, and the actor even joked about his own untimely demise. Take a look at the tributes that have been pouring in all day, from showbiz luminaries such as Billy Crystal, Steve Martin and many, many more.